Water Gap park beaches, other sites ready to open

With funding restored to 2012 levels, the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will have most of its beaches, boat launches and visitors centers open for the season on or before Memorial Day.

In announcing the schedule on Thursday, Superintendent John J. Donahue said, “The park is definitely on the rebound after last year’s sequestration-related budget cuts and a 17-day government shutdown at the beginning of this fiscal year.”

He said the budget is “much better than it was in FY13, but it’s still not enough to do everything.” The park’s budget will be about $9.5 million.

Donahue thanked the several companies that made donations last year to keep some park facilities open. Among them were Kinder Morgan, whose $42,000 donation kept Milford Beach open, and Public Service Electric & Gas, which gave $50,000 to keep Kittatinny Point canoe access open.

Several local canoe livery operators including Adventure Sports, Chamberlain Canoes, Driftstone on the Delaware and Edge of the Woods Outfitters donated an additional $22,000 for Kittatinny Point.

“Without those private donations we would not have been able to open two of our most popular sites last summer. The NPS (National Park Service) is very grateful for their contributions,” Donahue said.

For the 2014 season, the following sites are currently open or will open on Memorial Day weekend:

• Visitor Centers: Beginning May 24, Kittatinny Point and Dingmans Falls Visitor Centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Both visitor centers will remain open through Labor Day.

• Dingmans Falls Visitor Center will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, and Saturday, May 17.

• Kittatinny Point Visitor Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 11, and Sunday, May 18. Ranger-led talks, campfire programs, walks and other activities will be offered this summer. The schedule will be available on the park website at www.nps.gov/dewa and at the visitor centers.

• Millbrook Village will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from May 24 through Labor Day weekend with park staff and volunteers conducting living history demonstrations.

A schedule of special events and programs will be available on the park website.

Lifeguards will be on duty at Milford Beach and Smithfield Beach in Pennsylvania and Turtle Beach in New Jersey from June 14 through the Labor Day weekend.

All park picnic areas and public use sites are now open, and fees are being collected at the sites that normally charge fees.

The normal rules that prohibit ground fires and pets in picnic areas, swimming beaches or other day use areas will be in effect. Visitors must bring and use their own charcoal or gas grills.

All canoe and boat launches, except for the boat launch at Kittatinny Point, are now open.

Boaters must have a properly fitted, U.S. Coast Guard approved life jacket for each adult on board any vessel, and life jackets must be worn at all times by children 12 and under.

From Nov. 1 to April 30, a life jacket must be worn by all boaters by state law.

Alcohol is not permitted at many sites in the park or in boats on the river.

Several sites within the park, such as Smithfield Beach, Milford Beach, Bushkill Access and Dingmans Access in Pennsylvania, and Turtle Beach and Watergate Recreation Site in New Jersey, charge extra day-use fees.

Fees are $7 per car per on weekdays and $10 per car per day on weekends and holidays.

An extra $1 is charged for each person over the seven-person-per-vehicle limit. The fee for those arriving on foot or bicycle to use the beaches, hiking trails, boat/canoe launches or to fish, is $1 per day.

Those arriving by foot or bicycle to access the Joseph M. McDade Recreational Trail are not required to pay the fee.

Season passes for the park’s fee sites are on sale at park headquarters in Bushkill and will be sold at visitor centers and fee stations when they open for the season.

Season passes are $45 per vehicle, with discounts for additional vehicles registered to the same household. Additional discounts are also available for holders of America the Beautiful Senior and Access passes.

The Pocono Pony will once again provide a free weekend shuttle service between Kittatinny Point and Milford Beach on the Pennsylvania side of the river. All buses have trailers for canoes, kayaks and bicycles.

A detailed schedule will be released before Memorial Day.

For additional information, call park headquarters on weekdays at 570-426-2452, visit the park’s website or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Del.